/ NEWS: Ondra makes FA of Change, 9b+!

This morning, after a rest day with dry weather and wind had allowed the Change-project in the Hanshelleren cave at Flatanger, Norway, to dry up enough to be climbable. Climbable to one person on this planet, Adam Ondra.
I don't have any details yet, and I will update this post as I get them, but...

Ah but is he having the MOST fun? Sharma was pretty miserable whilst working FRFM but seems to have perked up a bit since. I always think that Dave Graham seems to have a lot of fun in the vids & Daniel Wood's "psyche" is like an excited puppy....

I doubt that being so close to the absolute limit can go down as being fun 100% of the time.
Climbing at that level must require a mental effort which is probably impossible to explain or measure. God knows what the average 7a climber could redpoint or onsight if he/she had the "head" of an Ondra at his limit. But because of the impossibility to conceive of that level of focus, I am happy to cut all the slack in the world to top climbers.

I saw him for a day when he came to Malham. I've never seen focus like it. Not my idea of a good day out cragging for sure. However he must enjoy some aspects of it or else he wouldn't still be motivated enough to put all the effort in that it must take.

In reply to UKC News: Typical UK response. Wake up people, this is the hardest route done by the best climber, ever. It's as ground breaking as Indian Face, Hubble and The first oxygen free ascent of Ben Nevis rolled into one!

In reply to UKC News: went to see the dura dura at reel rock premier and most of people had a good laugh about Adam coz he's/was a school boy, lives with mum and sleeps on a back seat of the car. I wonder who's laughing now? Great effort and endless inspiration for everybody who takes climbing seriously.

Ben Nevis has been climbed without oxygen? Bloody Hell!! I'm going to have to get in to training

I think one of the "problems" in watching someone like Adam Ondra climbing is that even at his limit he's so good it's not obvious just how hard the climbing is until he falls. It looks like these massive caves/grottes (or whatever the correct geographical term for them is) are the future of hard sport climbing and it's going to take us, the audience, a while to figure out all the angles of what's being climbed.

Not sure where that audience of RR is from. I have lived in countries where kids normally leave home at age 17. On the other hand, I can't remember many of these kids being able to speak 4 languages, to cook a meal that didn't make you think they were savages and to understand the importance of not picking your nose in public.

I've got tonnes of respect for Adam and his family. Despite his obvious and nearly infinite talent for climbing, they wanted him to finish school like any other normal person. Apparently he wants to go to uni too next year...

In reply to UKC News: Awesome effort, well done! Not to take anything away from this achievement (first proposed 9b+)! but does anyone else wonder that this chap still might have a fair bit of physical climbing maturation to go!? 10a anyone?

I think Sharma did Realisation around the same age he is now maybe a bit older. That was the first 9a+ and in his climbing career thus far he has been able to take it to upper 9b so who knows, I think Ondra can still climb a lot harder yet.

In reply to Quarryboy: I'm not sure of the exact dates but would guesstimate Ondra has a year or two up his sleeve on their relative ages, at least. From the pictures and videos Sharma looks a stronger and more powerful frame, whilst Ondra looks to have a fair bit more filling out to go, even accounting for age. Also from the reports I suspect Sharma took a bit longer to complete Realisation than Ondra did on this.I wonder if these things kind of get capped when there is no one repeating the routes because they are too hard!?

> (In reply to Quarryboy) I'm not sure of the exact dates but would guesstimate Ondra has a year or two up his sleeve on their relative ages, at least. From the pictures and videos Sharma looks a stronger and more powerful frame, whilst Ondra looks to have a fair bit more filling out to go, even accounting for age. Also from the reports I suspect Sharma took a bit longer to complete Realisation than Ondra did on this.I wonder if these things kind of get capped when there is no one repeating the routes because they are too hard!?

Catch Adam Ondra in Durra Durra with the London screening of Reel Rock 26 November. The first London screening sold out so this new London screening has been added!